Public Sector
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product
World Bank code: MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS • Data available for 161 countries • Latest year: 2024
In , Ukraine led Military expenditure (% of GDP) at 34.48.
The world median across 147 reporting countries was 1.59.
How "Public Sector" indicators are measured
Public sector indicators (government revenue, expenditure, debt) are compiled from IMF Government Finance Statistics and national budget reporting. Definitions of "general government" versus "central government" vary, so cross-country comparison requires checking the institutional coverage. Debt-to-GDP ratios are most useful in trend form rather than point-in-time comparison.
Distribution — 2024
- Reporting
- 147 countries
- Median
- 1.59
- Mean
- 2.20
- 25th percentile
- 0.97
- 75th percentile
- 2.36
- Range
- 0.07 – 34.48
World at a Glance — 2024
Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).
Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.
Highest Values — 2024
| # | Country | Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine Europe & Central Asia | 34.48 |
| 2 | Israel Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 8.78 |
| 3 | Algeria Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 7.97 |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 7.30 |
| 5 | Russian Federation Europe & Central Asia | 7.05 |
| 6 | Myanmar East Asia & Pacific | 6.79 |
| 7 | Oman Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 5.59 |
| 8 | Armenia Europe & Central Asia | 5.48 |
| 9 | Azerbaijan Europe & Central Asia | 4.99 |
| 10 | Kuwait Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 4.84 |
Looking for a specific country? Only the top and bottom 10 appear here. See where every country ranks for Military expenditure (% of GDP).
View complete rankings →Biggest Movers — Year over Year
Largest decreases
- Liberia -50.1%
- Congo, Rep. -40.0%
- Equatorial Guinea -35.3%
- Togo -34.4%
- Nigeria -34.1%
By Income Group — Average
| Income group | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| High income | 49 | 2.45 |
| Upper middle income | 41 | 2.51 |
| Lower middle income | 38 | 1.69 |
| Low income | 18 | 1.99 |
| Not classified | 1 | 0.65 |
By Region — Average
| Region | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 17 | 1.92 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 46 | 2.88 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 20 | 1.18 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 15 | 3.93 |
| North America | 2 | 2.37 |
| South Asia | 4 | 1.40 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 43 | 1.52 |
Lowest Values — 2024
| # | Country | Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haiti | 0.07 |
| 2 | Mauritius | 0.15 |
| 3 | Ireland | 0.24 |
| 4 | Papua New Guinea | 0.31 |
| 5 | Zimbabwe | 0.35 |
| 6 | Guatemala | 0.37 |
| 7 | Ghana | 0.38 |
| 8 | Kazakhstan | 0.43 |
| 9 | Malta | 0.45 |
| 10 | Sierra Leone | 0.46 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), CC BY 4.0. Rankings show countries with available data for 2024.